There's been much talk of Karma Yoga and several people
profess to be on the path without realizing that they are actually building more
karma than exhausting it, which is the purpose of Karma Yoga.

First things first; the fullest adoption of Karma
Yoga is much simpler if one pre-supposes the doctrine of previous life and next
life -the doctrine of transmigration of the soul. For people who doubt this
'truth', the practice of karma yoga becomes a very difficult process.

The scope of this article is not to debate whether this
doctrine is true or not. It is sufficient to say that this belief cuts across
several faiths including Buddhism which can safely be considered a
"non-religious" sect. To deny this occurrence would be to deny several anecdotal
evidences in its support.

With this, let us examine the popular myths surrounding
Karma Yoga:

Myth #1

Karma Yoga is about Charity and Helping the
Underprivileged

A very popular misconception. Often people correlate
Charity or "working without money" as Karma Yoga.

While it is true that such actions are better placed for
one to experience Karma Yoga, it should be clearly understood that willful
foregoing of "money" by itself means nothing. Indeed, if the act of charity or
voluntary work brings a feeling of 'pleasure' or even a satisfaction akin to
'redemption from sin', then all that has been achieved is another transaction of
exchanging money/ time for emotional solace. That is not purification - not
Karma Yoga.

On the other hand, if you could feel 'truly'
thankful to the person at whom the charity is directed for providing you an
opportunity to exhaust your karmas, so much so, that you are even willing to
accept a total non-gratitude or non-thankfulness from that person, only then,
does such an action fall under the domain of Karma Yoga.

Myth #2

Karma Yoga is about doing Work

Karma Yoga is about every aspect of our existence & not
just work.

Karma yoga is about "purification" in action.
Unfortunately, many assume action to be work. This is not true. Every moment of
our existence is action (voluntary and involuntary). Karma Yoga is about
addressing every action including thinking, living processes and interacting.
Karma Yoga deals with the purification of this entire process.

Karma yoga is not about an office or work practice that you
do eight hours a day and then forget about it until the next day… it is about
being absorbed in its principle during each conscious moment.

Myth #3

Karma yoga is about "More" work (more action)

In fact, taking on more work with the associated stress is
as far from Karma Yoga as one can get!

Karma yoga is about balance; Karma Yoga is about
moderation. It is about seeking purification through work. What do we mean by
purification? Purification is freedom from theemotional bondage of
work. Purification is about doing the work without any emotional changes on
account of the process, the result OR the 'perceived' result… a dispassionate
conduct of work in the truest sense.

This can only happen by adhering to the principles of
balance and moderation-even being able to kick work when you are most enjoying
it!

Myth #4

Karma Yoga breeds Despondency / Fatalism.

Sure, it can (for the misinformed, or those who wish to
adopt a piecemeal approach to Karma Yoga, which it is not).

Karma Yoga pre-supposes the doctrine of rebirth and it is
here that faith in this belief is paramount. Karma Yoga pre-supposes:

(a)We are the product of our stored impressions (samskaras) formed on
account of past karmas-from our evolution to the present stage.

(b)Our free will of the present life presents us an opportunity to
exhaust our past impressions and reduce / exhaust creation of fresh ones.

(c)This process of using our free will is an important factor in determining
our peace quotient as well as how fast we reach the ultimate destiny of all
mankind which is often referred to as Enlightenment or Supreme Bliss.

If one understands the above principles in sufficient
depth, he/ she would realize that there is no room for despondency. Despondency
and fatalism result in the building up of more karmas / impressions and bring in
Tamas, which actually takes us away from the process of
purification and our upliftment.

The only way out is by using our life & free will as an
opportunity to exhaust as many archetypes (subtle impressions) & karmas as
possible by living in the spirit of karma yoga.

Myth #5

Karma Yoga is about seeking Happiness

Actually, Karma Yoga is about seeking freedom from the pair
of opposites. That your mind is Happy implies that it will also automatically
experience Sadness as a natural opposite (just like a swinging pendulum).

Karma Yoga is about seeking peace through this recognition
and realization. This is where Karma Yoga gives way to Vedanta.

It is advisable to tread on the path of Karma Yoga only
after believing and understanding all the above fully. The by-product of such
understanding is a strong sense of stability and peace in THIS very life.

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